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STARTING A NEW EBAY BUSINESS | HOW TO DEAL WITH SELLING LIMITS

I get asked this question from new sellers on eBay frequently so today I wanted to discuss eBay’s selling limits. As I mentioned in this video I personally never had selling limits when I was selling on eBay because they never existed but last year I got to experience this first hand with a client of mine that joined my wholesale network. They just started selling on eBay and where looking to make some extra money. This was a great learning experience not only for the eBay seller but for me as I got to see first hand the limitations in place and as we worked together watching them disappear.

Selling on eBay these days is a lot different than in the past, they have limitations for all new sellers, which is a good thing but can also be a nightmare if you are starting your reselling business part time or even full time. Below I will show you how after 6 months we where able to get the limitations increased and how you can grow your eBay business.

First off we need to understand why eBay has selling limits. Based on what I have come up with from reading about why the limitations exist this is eBay’s explanation

Reduce Fraud

Making Sure Sellers Can Fulfill their orders

Making Sure Sellers are Growing at the right pace

Now eBay has limits in 3 different categories as well: Account Limits, Category Limits and Product Limits.

Account Limits

For most new sellers on eBay they will only be able to list 10 items a month or $1,000 which ever comes first. You will also have a hold on your money via PayPal until a buyer has received the item and/or left positive feedback. This is a huge issue that I didn’t bring up in the video because you are not getting your money in a timely matter. You could be waiting days or even weeks especially for sales internationally.

Category Limits

eBay doesn’t provide exact data on this but from my experience they might limit you to only selling a certain amount of movies a month or a certain amount of men’s clothing. They can also block you entirely from a category, it really depends.

Product Limits

These are typically quantity or variations in a listing for example: if you have 3 t shirts in different sizes you will have to list them separate rather than in one listing. Same applies to colors or having more than one item.

Now that you understand selling limits, lets get into how to increase them so you can start making more money. Below I have included a list of what you can do to increase them month in and out.

Max out all your listings each month, they will not increase your limits if you only listed 1 of 100 items in 30 days

Reaching out to your customers: thanking them for their purchase, sending them a personal message that their item shipped and provide them with a tracking #, track the package and once it shows delivered, message the buyer and ask them if they have received it and if they are happy with their purchase. This may seem like overkill but trust me it works.

Don’t sell junk or broken items, don’t sell something to someone where it could cause a problem when the buyer gets it. For example, most people don’t read descriptions anymore so if you have a video game that you are selling but you haven’t tested it don’t list it. Even if you list it untested, trust me you might get a buyer that didn’t read the “Untested” remark and they won’t hesitate to leave you negative feedback

Take great photos, no clutter in the background. A simple photo of your item with a clean white background will work.

Package your shipments with care, especially with glass. Make sure you take the extra steps to properly package all items even if the post office decides to play football with your package so when it arrives to the customer in one piece you will have a happy buyer.

eBay may or may not increase your sales automatically every month, so make sure you are calling them to discuss raising your limitations every 30 days.

Spell everything out in the description, you don’t want to write a biography but every detail that the buyer needs to know about the item. You don’t want them to have any surprises when they get your package.

The last tip I can give you on selling limits is patience! It is like anything else in life, if you don’t have patience you will never succeed, especially in reselling. The first months with these selling limits will feel like torture but if you follow the rules day by day, month by month I can assure you that you will start to see signs of the handcuffs coming off. Lastly, don’t give up! Reselling is a great opportunity to make some extra side cash or a full time income, it is eBay’s dinner table and you are a guest. If you are good to the host they will reward you with a little bit of cognac after the meal.